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Introducing the 2019 Best-of-the-Best
Professional Services Organizations
March 2019
Service Performance Insight
www.SPIresearch.com
Service Performance Insight, LLC
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ i
Table of Contents
Introducing the 2019 Best-of-the-Best ........................................................................................... 1
Why Maturity Matters ........................................................................................................................ 1
Introducing one this year’s Best-of-the-Best – Tquila ANZ .......................................................... 2
SPI Interview with Jo Masters – CEO of Tquila ANZ ...................................................................... 3
Pillar Performance ............................................................................................................................. 5
Demographics ..................................................................................................................................... 5
Leadership ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Client Relationships ............................................................................................................................. 6
Human Capital Alignment ................................................................................................................... 7
Service Execution ................................................................................................................................ 9
Finance and Operations .................................................................................................................... 10
Best-of-the-Best Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 10
About Service Performance Insight ................................................................................................... 12
Figures
Figure 1: Professional Services Maturity™ Progression .............................................................................. 2
Figure 2: Tquila ANZ SPIder Diagram ........................................................................................................... 2
Tables
Table 1: Best-of-the-Best Performance Advantage ..................................................................................... 1
Table 2: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Demographics .............................................................................. 5
Table 3: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Leadership Pillar (1 to 5 Scale) ..................................................... 6
Table 4: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Client Relationships Pillar ............................................................ 7
Table 5: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Human Capital Alignment Pillar ................................................... 8
Table 6: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Service Execution Pillar ................................................................ 9
Table 7: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Finance & Operations Pillar ....................................................... 10
Table 8: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Business Applications ................................................................ 11
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 1
Introducing the 2019 Best-of-the-Best
Based on results from the twelfth annual Professional Services Maturity™ benchmark survey, SPI Research has named the 2019 Best-of-the-Best professional services organizations (PSOs). SPI’s extensive annual survey, the 2019 PS Maturity™ Benchmark, revealed top performers are far more likely to deliver projects on-time to satisfied clients than average firms. The Best-of-the-Best delivered 88.2% of their projects on time compared to 76.3% for average firms.
This past year, the top 18 firms out of 622 organizations who participated in the survey, outperformed
their peers and the benchmark average with not only more reference customers, but also significantly
higher profits and superior revenue and headcount growth. The Best-of-the-Best grew revenues by
14.5% compared to 9.4% for average firms.
The Best-of-the-Best excel across five critical service performance dimensions: leadership, client relationships, human capital alignment, service execution, and finance and operations. The Best-of-the-Best recognition is significant because it measures PSOs not only on bottom line financial results such as profit margins but also on a breadth of leadership metrics to reveal exceptional, holistic performance. Each year SPI meets with leaders from the Best-of-the-Best PSOs to gain insight into what sets them apart and the best practices that drive their exemplary performance.
This white paper details the
best practices of the leading
service providers. It highlights
results in each of the five
Service Performance Pillars™
by comparing the Best-of-the-
Best to all of the other
organizations in the survey
and offers suggestions on how
to improve performance
through the use of integrated
front and back-office business
applications.
Why Maturity Matters
SPI Research believes wide support for the PS Maturity™ model is due to its holistic approach to
measuring performance. Maturity is determined through alignment and focus both within and across
functions. For example, although financial measurements are of primary importance, they are equally
weighted and correlated with leadership and sales and quality measurements to ensure organizations
improve across all dimensions, not just in terms of financial performance. However, if the organization
is profit-motivated (which most are), increasing maturity levels do show up in significant bottom-line
profit. Figure 1 highlights major key performance measurements by maturity level and should alone be
an important reason why PS executives should look deeper into using it to increase productivity and
profit.
Table 1: Best-of-the-Best Performance Advantage
Measurement Top 18
Firms
All
Others Advantage
EBITDA 26.5% 17.6% 51%
Average revenue per project (k) $278 $145 91%
Year over year revenue growth 14.5% 9.4% 54%
Year over year PS headcount growth 11.0% 7.5% 46%
Annual revenue per employee (k) $213 $163 31%
Reference clients 84.0% 71.3% 18%
Projects delivered on-time 88.2% 76.3% 16%
Size of PS Organization (employees) 441 635 -30%
Source: SPI Research, March 2019
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 2
Figure 1: Professional Services Maturity™ Progression
Source: SPI Research, March 2019
Introducing one this year’s Best-of-the-Best – Tquila ANZ
SPI Research annually nominates the Top 5% of survey participants as “Best-of-the-Best”
candidates. After a careful review and discussion with their lead service executives, 18 of the 30
nominees were selected to receive the “Best-of-the-Best” award in 2019.
One of the characteristics that
differentiates this year’s top
performers is the emphasis they
place on building unique,
employee-centered cultures.
Whether it is parental leave for all
employees or providing employee
ownership or career opportunities
regardless of gender, these firms
have built collaborative cultures in
which continuous growth and
teamwork are prized. Their
emphasis on building an open and
ethical work environment
manifests in low levels of attrition
and high levels of employee satisfaction and referrals.
This year’s top performers are experiencing tremendous growth. A top challenge is maintaining their
esprit de corps as they grow. To ensure their cultures of continuous learning are passed down to
newcomers and the next generation of leaders, they have built strong consulting and leadership
development programs, emphasizing and supporting accountability at all levels.
Figure 2: Tquila ANZ SPIder Diagram
Source: SPI Research, March 2019
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 3
SPI Interview with Jo Masters – CEO of Tquila ANZ
Tquila ANZ has one of the most talented Salesforce.com
consulting teams in the region. Headquartered in Sydney, with
teams in Brisbane, Queensland and Melbourne, Victoria, we
have helped a multitude of companies define, develop, deploy
and evolve their Salesforce investments.
Please tell us about your firm’s top accomplishments in 2018.
2018 was an excellent year for Tquila ANZ as we continued to
cement strong foundations for continued growth.
Summary of highlights:
∆ Salesforce Platinum Consulting Partner for third
consecutive year
∆ 181 Salesforce Certifications across their entire cloud platform: Sales Cloud; Service Cloud; CPQ
and Billing; Community Cloud; Marketing Cloud; Pardot Cloud; Einstein Analytics
∆ 200+ Projects delivered to our installed base which is now approaching 300
∆ 10 out of 10 Salesforce Customer Satisfaction Rating
∆ Impressive YoY Revenue growth – 70.52%
∆ Created and rolled out a Grad program to assist with the skills shortage in our market place and
to improve margins
∆ Set up a leadership program TLC (Tquila Learning Centre) to ensure we invest in current and up
and coming leaders -teaching leadership and consulting skills to set us apart from our
competition
∆ Strong growth in our focus industries: Healthcare (Consumer Directed Care; MRD; Government)
∆ Improved internal systems to better service our employees and our customers through the
rollout of best-in-breed collaboration tools including: Confluence; Jira; Conga; Kimble; Pardot
Cloud for marketing and customer engagement as well as our Human Resources and Finance
Systems.
∆ Successfully deployed the first Salesforce CPQ implementation in Australia and the Asia Pacific
region
∆ Recipient of prestigious industry awards including:
o CRN 2018 Impact Awards Finalist – Digital Transformation – CPQ Implementation at
Ansarada
o ARN 2018 Innovation Awards Finalist – Partner/Customer Value – Teys Australia
o Formed key alliances with Telstra; KPMG; PwC; Datacom; ATG; Tryzens; Conga
o CEO invited to be a member of the Telstra Advisory Board
o Tquila ANZ invited to participate in the Salesforce Worldwide Summit – one of only 70
partners invited worldwide
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 4
Please tell us why your firm is a great place to work.
Core to Tquila’s growth is the ability to attract and retain top talent and this is being achieved across the
organisation. The CEO’s dedication, loyalty and commitment to her team are second to none. She drives
them to do their best and delivery excellence is now truly ingrained in the company’s DNA.
The environment we foster is conducive to collaboration and teamwork. We believe in a team built on
diversity and inclusion and women are actively encouraged to step into challenging roles whilst
mentoring and coaching them to succeed. Today, women represent 32% of Tquila’s headcount holding
roles across all levels of the organisation. Out of a Leadership Team of eight, six are women; others are
performing key roles as Functional Consultants, Project Managers, and Developers working with our
customers to deliver successful business outcomes.
Our 71-strong staff represent over 10 countries as their places of birth allowing us to enjoy diverse
cultures and customs and providing an excellent opportunity to balance work with fun. Diwali, Festival
of Light, is a recent example celebrated with traditional costumes, food and stories about family
traditions. This is all part of the investment in Tquila’s “Employee Experience” initiative.
The Employee Experience Program consists of eight key components: Leadership; Equality, Diversity
and Inclusion; Personal Growth and Development; Onboarding and Induction; Wellbeing and Health;
Technical and Process Improvement; Work Environment and Reward and Recognition. Each program
component has been designed to provide our staff with the best working environment, one where they
can define their personal and career aspirations, excel in their jobs, and ultimately make a difference.
Tquila Learning Centre was launched in 2018 as part of the Personal Growth and Development
program designed to introduce a structured learning program to allow enablement on multiple fronts
for Tquila to grow in maturity and capability.
Tquila is working closely with Salesforce in the rollout of the “Workforce for Women” initiative to
enable women facing disadvantage. The successful candidates will be trained, mentored and coached so
that they may acquire the skills needed in a professional services environment.
Tquila started its Graduate Program late in 2017 under Professional Services. This year the program has
seen its numbers grow to five graduates. New graduates have now been recruited for 2019.
As we grow, we are also formalising community activities so that, as a socially responsible company, we
may give back to those in need and contribute to the betterment of our environment.
Please tell us about the top challenges your firm is facing in 2019.
The biggest challenge Tquila faces in 2019 is the ability to acquire and retain talent with the skill sets and
capabilities required to address the opportunity that the Salesforce Ecosystem is opening. We are
addressing this challenge with our Grad program. The strategic partnerships we have forged and the
programs we have rolled out across all areas of the company are a testament to the Tquila’s vision for
the future whilst staying true to our values and our mission of solving customers’ business problems and
helping them with their businesses’ transformations.
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 5
Pillar Performance
The following sections highlight the results of this year’s Best-of-the-Best professional services
organizations (PSOs) and compares their results with the rest of the survey participants.
Demographics
Table 2 compares the top performing PSOs to the other 604 in this year's survey. Best-of-the-Best
organizations tend to be more specialized than the average firm in the benchmark. This year’s top
performers are slightly smaller than average firms, with 441 PS employees compared to 635 for the rest.
This year’s Best-of-the-Best are characterized by high growth, profit, and high levels of client
satisfaction. Every year we find the
best firms are also the fastest
growing. On average, they grew
year over year PS revenue by
14.5%; 54% more than the revenue
growth of average firms (9.4%).
Year-over-year employee
headcount growth was also
impressive at 11%. The Best
maintain a much higher
percentage of billable employees.
For these fast-growing firms one of
their top challenges is finding and
growing the talent they need to
sustain their dynamic growth while
maintaining a culture of excellence.
Leadership
The leading firms are highly specialized. They concentrate on specific high-growth technology or IT
segments or vertical industries. The executives of top-performing firms are seasoned professionals –
often with a track record of founding and growing multiple prior consulting organizations.
Leaders at the best firms foster a work environment that is fair and well-managed with ample rewards
and career progression. Because employees understand and share in the success of these organizations,
the atmosphere is one of collaboration and loyalty.
A recurring theme from this year’s leaders is their strong sense of community. The leaders of the top
firms are seen as visionaries within the markets they serve, they see their role as one of truly helping
improve the lives of their clients and employees. They select clients and projects because they share the
same values, whether it is a love of transformational change or desire to make a difference through
Table 2: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Demographics
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Best Rest ▲
Number of firms 18 604
Size of PS organization (employees) 441 635 -30%
Year-over-year change in PS revenue 14.5% 9.4% 54%
Year-over-year change in PS headcount 11.0% 7.5% 46%
% of employees billable or chargeable 81.0% 72.4% 12%
Total professional services revenue (mm) $94 $92 1%
Annual company revenue (mm) $172 $231 -26%
% of PS revenue delivered by 3rd-parties 8.7% 11.8% -26%
Source: SPI Research, March 2019
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 6
leading edge programs. Their sense of pride and commitment comes through in the organizations they
have developed.
Leaders discussed the
importance of building a
unique, employee-centric
culture which in turn becomes
a source of differentiation. In
today’s competitive talent
market establishing a strong
reputation as a great place to
work is paramount to building
brand awareness. While each
leader discussed the
importance of client success,
they also discussed the
importance of creating
engaged employees to carry
on the culture and position the firm for the future. A key area of differentiation is that top firms
significantly invest in employee development. On average, they provide 12.7 days of employee
training compared to 8.5 days for average firms.
Table 3 compares the leadership metrics of the highest performing organizations with the remainder of
the survey. The two highest differential scores are ease of getting things done and goals and
measurements in alignment with corporate strategy. Leading PSOs cultivate egalitarian, non-
hierarchical, flat organizations in which all employees are vested in the success of the firm as well as
their own well-being. Their focus on innovation means they strive to continually stay ahead of the pack,
investing in new technologies and ideas long before they become mainstream. Their clarity of purpose
provides a powerful foundation for their unique cultures which support and accelerate market
differentiation, in turn leading to strong employee confidence in the future.
Client Relationships
The independent IT and management consultancies depend on their regional practice leaders to be the
chief rainmakers in their region or domain. Although practice leaders are charged with developing a
book of business, they are also goaled with personal billability targets to underscore the important role
they play in client success. Independent Best-of-the-Best firms expect their practice leaders to be
consultants first, able to truly add value to client relationships. Repeat business and referrals are the
primary source of new business, a strong testimony to superlative client relationships and results. Their
percentage of reference clients is 84% compared to only 71% for average firms.
The embedded PSOs primarily rely on the product sales force. They have forged a strong partnership
with product sales and have built sales tools and service packages to guide and shape consulting
engagements. These service packages enable the product sales force to position and quote services,
Table 3: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Leadership Pillar (1 to 5 Scale)
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Best Rest ▲
Ease of getting things done 4.63 3.76 23%
Goals and measurements in alignment 4.6 3.74 23%
Well understood vision, mission and strategy 4.6 3.8 21%
Employees have confidence in PSO's future 4.63 3.91 19%
Embraces change - nimble and flexible 4.5 3.8 18%
Innovation focused 4.4 3.74 18%
Effectively communicates w/employees 4.43 3.78 17%
Confidence in PS leadership 4.67 4.01 16%
Source: SPI Research, March 2019
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 7
leading to higher product and service attach rates.
PS is regarded as a significant
and growing source of top-line
company revenue, not a
necessary evil. In many cases,
their lead services executive is
also responsible for global
support, professional services
and account management
with the title of Chief
Customer Success officer,
acknowledging the important
role services plays in ensuring
client success. A relatively
new set of metrics has
emerged for embedded PS,
focused on customer
adoption. The cloud PSOs
measure not only the number of licenses, seats and recurring revenue but also the depth of client
adoption and engagement by building dashboards and scorecards which depict client usage, adoption
and churn.
Survey results revealed the percentage of revenue from new clients was 35.8% for Best-of-the-Best
firms compared to 29.5% for average organizations. New client expansion is a key ingredient of their
high growth and profitability. Leaders give higher marks for sales, marketing and solution development
effectiveness. Interviews revealed leaders do not have the schism between sales and service delivery
which is so apparent in many PSOs. Sales and delivery collaboration produced higher win ratios, larger
sales pipelines and more reference customers.
Human Capital Alignment
Talent is a primary focus and hot topic for all service firms. In an increasingly competitive talent market,
top performing firms are becoming laser-focused on their employment brand. Organizations are
embracing technology to help reinvent the workplace with knowledge-sharing, team-building,
transparency and collaboration at the core of their continuous learning cultures.
Table 5 compares Human Capital Alignment pillar key performance indicators between the Best and the
rest. The table shows employees receive higher levels of training investment; they are more likely to
understand and take advantage of career advancement opportunities; and more of them would
recommend their firm as a great place to work.
Billable utilization targets of the best firms average 75% or higher compared to 70% for average firms.
This means top performing consultants bill 100 more hours per year than those at average firms.
Table 4: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Client Relationships Pillar
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Best Rest ▲
Deal pipeline relative to qtr. bookings forecast 290% 175% 65%
Annual number of active clients 2,166 1,328 63%
Bid-to-Win ratio (per 10 bids) 5.97 4.86 23%
% Revenue from new logo clients 35.8% 29.5% 21%
Percentage of referenceable clients 84.0% 71.3% 18%
Service sales effectiveness 3.9 3.51 11%
Solution development effectiveness 3.9 3.62 8%
Service marketing effectiveness 3.5 3.24 8%
Average service discount given 6.3% 6.7% 6%
Sales cycle (days: qualified lead to contract sign.) 97 88 -9%
Source: SPI Research, March 2019
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 8
Their employees are paid more plus they receive a host of additional benefits including investments in
giving back to their communities; generous healthcare and parental leave policies; flexible work
schedules; health and wellness programs; significant investments in employee training and career
development and a consistent focus on fun, team-building, collaboration and communication.
Top performing firms place a premium on high quality recruiting and on-boarding programs resulting in
faster recruiting and ramping
times combined with higher
billable utilization. They hire
“A” players. They invest a lot
in them and expect a lot from
them.
Several firms invest over 90
days in teaching new hires
both the industry and
technology. This strategy,
although initially expensive,
results in qualified consultants
who hit the ground running
after their on-boarding
program has been completed.
Several firms are starting
specialized programs to attract and groom the next generation of female consultants. In an industry
dominated by males, savvy firms realize the vast potential from attracting and growing a diverse
workforce.
Just finding talent is not enough. This year’s Best-of-the-Best firms focused on ramping and employee
training to develop a qualified workforce. With young millennial consultants, continuous learning is a
prerequisite which means top firms understand employee career and knowledge aspirations and ensure
top performers are assigned to the projects, clients and geographies they are most interested in. Some
create rotational assignments to give their employees greater exposure to other technologies and
clients. Several of the smaller firms are 100% virtual – in other words, they don’t invest in expensive
facilities but keep morale high with in-person weekly and quarterly meetings to enhance communication
and team-building.
Table 5: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Human Capital Alignment Pillar
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Best Rest ▲
Guaranteed annual training days / employee 12.67 8.62 47%
Well-understood career path (1 to 5 scale) 4.1 3.23 27%
Recommend company to friends/family (1 to 5) 4.83 4.39 10%
Employee billable utilization 74.5% 69.4% 7%
Days for a new hire to become productive 59 57.4 -3%
Employee annual attrition - voluntary 8.8% 8.5% -4%
Days to recruit and hire for standard positions 65 59.6 -9%
Employee annual attrition - involuntary 6.2% 5.4% -15%
Annual fully loaded cost per consultant (k) $140 $121 -16%
Source: SPI Research, March 2019
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 9
Service Execution
Table 6 compares service execution metrics between the Best-of-the-Best organizations and the
remainder. High quality service execution is what really sets top performing PSOs apart. They tend to
be highly disciplined in all facets of service execution. The table points out the leaders deliver larger
projects with superior project and subcontractor margins. When they do have overruns, they do a better
job of minimizing them
through project governance
and change orders. They
deliver projects with
quality and integrity and are
far more likely to use a
standardized delivery
methodology which results in
more projects delivered on-
time, fewer project overruns
and fewer project
cancellations. Because most of
them rely on a commercial
PSA application they are able
to staff projects faster. The
Best firms deploy the best
consultants and effectively use
PSA to exceed client
expectations, making all facets
of their projects more
profitable.
Leaders focus on all aspects of quality service delivery, with higher marks for resource management,
estimating; change control processes and knowledge management processes.
Because the leaders rely on a PSA application, they can build and reinforce project delivery standards
which result in precision execution and high levels of quality, productivity and profitability. They credit
their PSA with improving resource, project management, time and expense capture and billing, leading
to higher levels of billable utilization and on-time project completion. This year’s Best-of-the-Best were
uniform in their commitment to developing standardized methodologies. In addition to repeatable
processes and templates, they are focused on measuring quality and client satisfaction. Most estimates,
proposals and changes go through a rigorous evaluation to ensure proper risk management and margin
analysis.
Table 6: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Service Execution Pillar
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Best Rest ▲
Average revenue per project (k) $278 $145 91%
Project margin for fixed price projects 50.5% 33.4% 51%
Project margin for time & materials projects 50.0% 34.0% 47%
Average project margin — subs, offshore 34.7% 25.1% 38%
Average project overrun 5.4% 8.8% 38%
Average project staff (people) 5.08 4.31 18%
Projects delivered on-time 88.2% 76.3% 16%
Projects canceled 1.8% 2.1% 14%
Use a standardized delivery methodology 72.7% 65.7% 11%
Average project staffing time (days) 8.28 9.18 10%
Average project duration (months) 6.08 5.69 7%
Concurrent projects managed by PM 5.92 6.04 -2%
Number of projects delivered per year 554 890 -38%
Source: SPI Research, March 2019
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 10
Finance and Operations
The leaders enter each quarter with considerably more revenue in backlog (57.8%), which creates
greater financial stability and predictability.
The Best-of-the-Best can be characterized as running a very tight financial ship as they are appropriately
metrics driven and have real-
time visibility into all facets of
the business.
The Best-of-the-Best make
money on every aspect of the
business with 31% more
revenue per employee and
24% more revenue per
consultant. If they must write-
off work, they make sure to
keep write-offs and revenue
leakage to a minimum. Top
performers plan their work
and work their plan with
100% achievement of their
annual revenue and margin
targets. They run a well-
planned and predictable
business as they use
integrated front and back
office business applications to
gain a 360-degree view of prospects, projects, people and revenue.
The Best-of-the-Best PSOs Use and Integrate PS Applications
All of this year’s top performers have deployed a commercial finance and accounting solution which is
partially integrated with their PSA application for billing and revenue recognition. Table 8 depicts the
level of commercial business application use and integration for top performing organizations versus the
rest. In all dominant business applications categories, top performers invest more in business
applications and do a better job of integrating them. Because they use these applications to run the
business, they are much more satisfied with their application infrastructure.
Best-of-the-Best Conclusions
Each year it is inspiring to meet with leaders of the Best-of-the-Best organizations. They are justifiably
proud of the unique Professional Services organizations they have built, but their pride is focused on
Table 7: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Finance & Operations Pillar
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Best Rest ▲
EBITDA 26.5% 17.6% 51%
Quarterly revenue target in backlog 57.8% 43.8% 32%
Annual revenue per employee (k) $213 $163 31%
Executive real-time wide visibility 4.43 3.5 27%
Annual revenue per billable consultant (k) $251 $203 24%
% of billable work is written off 2.2% 2.9% 24%
Revenue leakage 3.4% 4.4% 22%
Percent of annual margin target achieved 100.0% 89.7% 11%
Percent of annual revenue target achieved 100.3% 93.3% 7%
Days sales outstanding (DSO) 45.3 46.4 2%
Quarterly non-billable expense per employee $1,900 $1,586 -20%
% of inv. redone due to error/client rejections 3.1% 2.2% -41%
Source: SPI Research, March 2019
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
© 2019 Service Performance Insight Report provided by Tquila ANZ 11
their employees and client
results, not on themselves. An
area that sets the leaders
apart is their in-depth
knowledge of their markets
and solutions. They
understand and have visibility
to all aspects of the business.
More than average firms, they
are truly passionate about
building an exceptional
organization, not just for
today, but for decades to
come. They are willing to
honestly look at themselves
and the business and make
changes to ensure they
continue to be the premium
firm. Their sterling reputation for delivering high quality results is a key ingredient in their success as
most often new business comes from referrals.
A few of this year’s Best-of-the-Best have been winners year-after-year, both throughout the great
recession and now again when the consulting market is hot. The independents have aligned themselves
with the latest and greatest technologies. They are constantly reinventing themselves to ensure they
are on the cutting edge of the best technology solutions for their markets. The leaders of the embedded
PSOs have a seat at the executive table – PS is seen as a critical element of the business and a major
source of revenue, profit and client product adoption.
Excellence is within the grasp of all PS organizations – but it takes hard work, determination and
constant vigilance. SPI Research finds it gratifying that leading organizations rely on the PS Maturity™
benchmark to guide their investments and performance. “You get what you measure” so reference the
superlative results of this year’s Best-of-the-Best to build your own organizations for the future!
Table 8: Best-of-the-Best Comparison – Business Applications
Solution Best Rest Delta
Corporate financial management solution (CFM) 100.0% 95.0% 5%
Satisfaction with financial solution 4.27 3.82 12%
Commercial CRM solution 86.2% 83.4% 3%
Satisfaction with CRM solution 4.33 4.01 8%
Commercial PSA 96.4% 75.2% 28%
Satisfaction with PSA solution 4.36 3.82 14%
PSA is integrated with CFM 57.4% 56.9% 1%
Level of CRM and PSA Integration 55.2% 49.6% 11%
Commercial HCM solution 80.0% 60.1% 33%
Satisfaction with HCM solution 3.84 3.63 6%
HCM is integrated with CFM 34.8% 32.0% 9%
Source: SPI Research, March 2019
2019 Best-of-the-Best Professional Services Organizations
Service Performance Insight (SPI Research) is a global research, consulting and training organization dedicated to helping professional service organizations (PSOs) make quantum improvements in productivity and profit. In 2007, SPI developed the PS Maturity Model™ as a strategic planning and management framework. It is now the industry-leading performance improvement tool used by over 25,000 service and project-oriented organizations to chart their course to service excellence. SPI provides a unique depth of operating experience combined with unsurpassed analytic capability. We not only diagnose areas for improvement but also provide the business value of change. We then work collaboratively with our clients to create new management processes to transform and ignite performance. Visit www.SPIresearch.com for more information on Service Performance Insight, LLC. © 2019 Service Performance Insight 12
About Service Performance Insight
R. David Hofferberth, PE, Service Performance Insight founder, managing director and licensed professional engineer has served as an industry analyst, market consultant and product director. He is focused on the services economy, especially productivity and technologies that help organizations perform at their highest capacity.
Dave’s background includes application and analytical tool development to support business decision-making processes. He has more than 30 years of domestic and international information technology experience with firms including the Aberdeen Group and Oracle. Contact Hofferberth at [email protected] or 239.304.2998.
Jeanne Urich, Service Performance Insight managing director, is a management consultant specializing in improvement and transformation for project- and service-oriented organizations. She has been a corporate officer and leader of the worldwide service organizations of three publicly traded software companies (Vignette, Blue Martini and Clarify), responsible for leading the growth of their professional services, education, account management and alliances organizations.
Jeanne is a world-renowned thought-leader, speaker and author on all
aspects of Professional Services. Contact Urich at [email protected] or 650.342.4690.